Friday, January 18, 2013

Changes

We had decided to make some changes with Mikey's therapy. We made arrangements to take him
to a local therapy center where he would receive his speech and OT services. This meant that we would not have a parade of people in and out of the house each day, and it was nice to get Mikey out and about.
Having three little children and one on the way, did not necessarily make this an easy task. At the time, my husband had his own business,which meant that he was able to help out when necessary. Every morning, Mike , who is a contractor, would get up at the crack of dawn, go to his job site, set up the materials and his employees, and come back home. He would then take Mikey to therapy, and when he was finished, he would head back to work until the work day had ended.
This would be our routine for quite awhile. We loved the new therapists, and Mikey was doing very well.Mike would stay with Mikey and watch his daily therapy sessions. We were not about to drop him off and leave until he was finished. I must say, that I was very proud of my husband for taking such an interest in all that the therapists were doing with our son. He would come home so excited each day with Mikey and
explain to me all that had happened that morning. He was so pleased to see Mikey making progress, and to actually be a part of it all. I have to admit , not only did this warm my heart , it helped me tremendously on the homefront. Taking care of three little rambunctious boys was hard enough, doing it while pregnant was even more difficult.
As the months passed, it became clear that it was time for us to decide where we would send Mikey to school. For most parents, this is a no-brainer. Children go to the local school, make friends, and so it goes. This was not the case for us. Our son Chris was already enrolled in our local school, but Mikey, was going to require a special-needs preschool in order to have all of his needs met. Many of the schools that had been suggested to us were not in our local area. This just didn't sit well with me. I was having a hard enough time
sending him off to school on his own,and could not even imagine sending him on a bus to travel 30-45 minutes to a school. What would I do if he became sick? How quickly would I be able to get to him? Again, my mind was going 90 miles per hour. What really worried me more than anything was the fact that my son did not speak, and therefore was unable to tell me what had gone on each day.
Think about that for a moment. The thought of putting him on a bus, with people I did not know, sending him off to a new school, with people I did not know, gave me heartache that was beyond belief. If anyone bothered him or hurt him, he could not tell me. I knew that we had to find someplace local, somewhere that was close to home, and where we could visit at a moment's notice. We did our research, and found the perfect place. Unfortunately they had all of their classes filled, and did not have a spot for our son. I was disheartened to say the least, but not my husband. He sprung into action, and visited that school on a weekly basis. He called daily, and laid on the charm. Within weeks, we received a call telling us that they had an opening for our son!
We were both so pleased to receive this news, but I do remember being extremely anxious. There were still so many "what ifs," and the thought of him being away from me all day made me sad. However, I knew this was what was best for him, and I would have to adjust. Our family was about to undergo some major changes, and I just had to buckle up and get ready for the ride.